In FFT, you can send three-person parties off for a few days to fufill optional errands. Sometimes they come back with cool items, sometimes with lots of money, other times with not much to show for it. How can I influence this towards better outcomes?

I imagine sending them off for more days helps (I always choose the max. number of days, in case this is true). Other things that I imagine may help (though I actually have no evidence) are the level of the away team members, and maybe their job composition (perhaps thieves do better on salvage missions?).

To increase the success of any job, send the maximum amount of units (three). Also, some jobs can be performed best by certain classes or a certain type of class (e.g. physical or magic), which the bartender will sometimes allude to when the job's proposition is selected. (In addition, the correct type of job can be deduced sometimes by reading the proposition.) Specify the maximum amount of days. Finally, recall your deployed units when a job is completed as soon as possible.

So, try to deduce the proper classes to use, and follow the other guidelines you've already been using - send the max number of people, for the max amount of time. Maxing out the time doesn't appear to increase the odds of success, but it does help you to get the best rewards.

For more information, consult this FAQ, specifically section "00err2." There's a list of all the errands in the game, the jobs that they prefer, and some tips for each errand for earning "bonuses" based on the characters Bravery or Faith stats.

And of course, units at a higher level perform better than those at a lower level.
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Matthew ReadDec 16 '11 at 21:24

From the linked FAQ, it seems that the # of days only affects the amount of money and JP won, not the success rate. I was also surprised to read that higher levels aren't necessarily better. Thanks for the link!
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SuperElectricDec 17 '11 at 13:32

@SuperElectric, yeah, I found the SquareHaven thing first, and then the FAQ, so I lead with SquareHaven cause I wanted to so there! I think the FAQ has better info though. I've edited and reworded a bit. The FAQ gives the "ground rules for success" better, although there are apparently a lot of factors that effect the amount of rewards you can expect to get.
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agent86Dec 17 '11 at 13:48